Alternate Ending
by 112908
Summary: What if Jasper had been able to stop Bella from escaping the airport in Twilight? This is an alternate ending to Twilight.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Bella's POV

Jasper softly laid a hand on my elbow as he guided me to the bathroom. His touch was comforting, but I didn't let the waves of calmness radiating from his hand distract me. As soon as I saw the bathroom door, I was ready. I knew what to do, and how to escape. I could only hope that Edward would forgive Jasper and Alice for letting me make my escape so easily.

Jasper's POV

Something about Bella was different as she entered the bathroom. The walk from the waiting area had been strange. I sensed her nervousness, so I tried calming her, but it appeared to have no effect. I actually had to resort to using my touch to make the calmness stronger, but she still acted as though I had no effect on her whatsoever. Perhaps her nerves were too out of control for me to help.

As I pondered the reasons behind Bella's abnormal behavior, I heard her. I could pick out Alice's voice from miles away, I was so attuned to her. She was talking at vampire speed, "Bella is going to run. You must stop her. She just used the other exit of the women's bathroom to escape. Get her, and then meet me back at the car. Something is wrong. Hurry Jasper." I didn't waste any time, I yanked open the door of the bathroom and ran across at vampire speed. I navigated around the women waiting in line and washing their hands; to them my passing would feel like a cool breeze. I reached the opposite exit in a mere half a second, and yanked the door open.

Bella was just a few feet away from the door; I felt her guilt wash over me as soon as the door was opened. She didn't notice me because she was frantically running to the main exit of the airport. I caught up to her easily and stood in front of her to block her path. She almost ran right into me, but she was able to stop in time. I sensed the pure shock mixed with terror that rolled off of her. Was she actually afraid of me? Shock and terror quickly changed to frustration as I saw tears roll down her cheeks. I stepped closer to her, wanting to ease the tension. She said, "Alice saw me, didn't she? I wasn't fast enough."

I tried to be as gentle as I knew how to be. "She did Bella. Alice said something is wrong, we have to meet her back at the car. Whatever this is, for whatever reason you tried to run away from us, we are going to fix this, ok?" Bella just stared at me. Her frustration quickly turned to defeat, then to absolute devastation. What was wrong with her? Now more tears rolled down her cheeks, but these were not tears of frustration, they were tears of sadness.

I couldn't understand these emotions Bella was feeling, but we were wasting too much time. I put my arm around her shoulders and steered her towards the exit for the parking garage where the Mercedes was waiting. She didn't put up a fight, and she even sagged against my side, needing my support to walk. Her emotions told me she was absolutely crushed, I was definitely missing something. I put all my power behind sending her waves of calmness.

It was a sunny day in Phoenix, so I was lucky the airport exit led us right into the shade of the parking garage. I was even luckier there were no people in the garage. I guess I put a little too much effort into calming Bella because she completely sagged against me, no longer able to support her weight. I realized I had actually put her to sleep. I picked her up and ran to the car where Alice was waiting. I could sense Alice's tension as I put Bella in the back seat. She looked at me, "hurry up Jasper! We have to get the ballet studio fast! And wake Bella up, she needs to give us directions. I'll explain everything on the way."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Jasper's POV

_Recap: "hurry up Jasper! We have to get to the ballet studio fast! And wake Bella up, she needs to give us directions. I'll explain everything on the way."_

Seconds after Alice's confusing words, we were speeding down the highway. I listened to her high pitched voice as she told me what she saw. "James called Bella back at the hotel. That's why she has been acting so weird. Bella thinks he has her mother, that's why she ran away from you. She was going to meet James so she could exchange herself for her mother!"

Wow, this would explain a lot of Bella's weird behavior and emotions. "Alice, what exactly did you see?"

"I saw James. He was with Bella in the ballet studio and he was showing her a recording. It had Bella's mom on it. That's all I saw, but I put everything together. He tricked her! The recording is what was supposed to lure Bella to the ballet studio." She continued talking at vampire speed, I didn't interrupt. "Now we have the upper hand Jasper! James has no leverage. He has made it easy for us to kill him!"

I knew Alice was right. Her description of what James would do matched Bella's emotions exactly. She hadn't been afraid of me back at the airport, she was afraid for her mother. And the utter devastation she felt was for the death of her mother. I looked back at Bella in the back seat. I could still see the tear stains on her cheeks. I couldn't let her suffer any longer; I reached back and shook her so she would wake. She opened her eyes and gave me that same look of devastation she had given me at the airport.

After a couple seconds, she began to speak, "I'm sorry I ran away Jasper, but you have to understand. He has my mom! I couldn't let her be killed, so I had to run away. I was going to my house to call him for more instructions, that's what he told me to do. I was supposed to go alone, but now it's too late, my mom is probably dead and it's entirely my fault." Bella stopped talking at this point; her emotions told me she was on the verge of completely breaking down. I looked at Alice, not knowing how to deal with this. Alice took over for me.

"Bella, I saw you in the ballet studio with him, but it's not what you think. James tricked you! He used a recording of your mother, he doesn't really have her. Renee is perfectly fine." Now Alice and I were both looking at Bella. Her emotions slowly changed from sadness to disbelief then finally rested on anger.

"How did I fall for that? I knew the way she said my name sounded familiar, why did I just let it go?" The anger Bella felt was for herself, not for James as it should have been. She glanced at the digital clock in between Alice and me, then I felt her emotions suddenly change to happiness. She continued talking, "I still have time! He gave me a deadline, but I can still make it! Alice, we have to go to my house. I'll call James and pretend like I don't know anything. If we do this right, we can get him." Now Bella was feeling confident. She looked at me, waiting for my reply and I looked at Alice.

Alice's face suddenly went blank, she was having a vision. When her eyes focused again, she looked happy. She said, "This will work! We have him. Bella give me directions to your house, we don't have a lot of time."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_Recap: "This will work! We have him. Bella give me directions to your house, we don't have a lot of time."_

Jasper's POV

After just a few minutes of Alice's skilled high speed driving and Bella's frantic directions we were pulling into Bella's driveway. On the way to Bella's house we had discussed the plan. Bella would call James from her house while I manipulated her emotions to make her feel afraid, terrified to be exact. She had to sound convincing. But then everything got complicated. Alice and I disagreed over whether or not to leave Bella at her house or bring her to the ballet studio. Alice, knowing Edward, thought it would be best to leave Bella at her house, in complete safety. I thought we should bring Bella with. Bella's scent would distract James, making the kill easier for us.

In the end, it was Bella who decided what to do. She had sided with me, not wanting to be left out. She said, "I'm the one who brought this mess upon us all, I should help fix it. You're right, Jasper. I can distract James while you and Alice take him out. This will be over before we know it." Alice had tried to dissuade Bella from coming, but Bella was very stubborn. In the end, Alice had to settle for her coming.

As the car came to a complete stop, I turned to Bella in the backseat. I said, "I'm sorry we have to do this Bella, are you sure you can handle it? You must sound convincing or else he will know you are being helped." I was worried about how Bella would cope with me making her feel fear. But everything was resting on this phone call, if this didn't work, we would lose James. I seldom used my power to make people feel unpleasant emotions, but I felt it needed to be done in this situation. I could sense that Bella was confident, but I still had doubts.

"I can do this, Jasper. I told you, I'm a horrible actress. James will see right through me if I try to just act like I am afraid. This way, there is a guarantee. Don't worry, I'll be fine." Bella sounded convinced that everything would be ok, so I put aside my doubts and turned to Alice.

"Can you tell if this will work?" I asked her.

Alice closed her eyes, but opened them a second later. I sensed her disappointment. "I'm sorry Jasper, I can't see anything about the phone call, but don't worry. Nothing has changed. We will kill James. Now let's hurry up, we only have four and a half minutes to make this phone call."

Bella ran and unlocked the door, then Alice and I quickly exited the car and ran into the house. We couldn't risk our glittering skin being seen by anyone passing by. We followed Bella through her house to the phone. Alice turned to me, "Jasper, I have to call Carlisle, their plane will land in a few minutes and they have to know what is going on."

Bella quickly responded to Alice, "Wait! Alice, don't tell them I'm going, please! If Edward knew I was going to be there he would overreact, you know him. Please, just tell them I'll be waiting for everyone at my house."

"Bella, if I was smart, I would tell Edward about you coming. You know I don't think it's a good idea." Alice responded.

"Alice!" Bella pleaded.

"Fine!"Alice snapped, "make the phone call, you're running out of time. I'll be right back." Alice darted out of the room, leaving Bella and I alone.

I was about to ask Bella if she was ok with the phone call again, but she spoke first. She said, "Let's just get this over with Jasper, I promise I won't be upset with you, ok? I can handle being afraid for a few seconds, I'm not as fragile as you think I am." I sensed that she was getting frustrated with me, so I just nodded and she picked up the phone.

As Bella dialed, I sent her waves of fear. I felt horrible when I saw her face turn white, and her eyes open wide, but I didn't stop controlling her emotions. I silently wrestled with myself while Bella talked to James. I desperately wanted to stop; this wasn't the natural way for me to use my powers. Everything about the situation felt wrong, but I forced myself to continue.

Bella's conversation with James was over within seconds. As soon as she hung up the phone, with shaking hands, I immediately stopped sending her fear and switched to calmness. I grabbed her hands to make the process faster. This time I didn't put her to sleep though. I saw the color return to her cheeks, and the fear completely leave her eyes. After a couple seconds, she was completely calm. I felt better now that I was no longer causing her pain, but I still felt horrible about what I had done.

Bella looked at me, I could sense her gratitude mixed with relief. She said, "Thank you, Jasper. James bought it. He's waiting for me at the ballet studio. We have to leave now I only have a few minutes to get there." I nodded at her words, then Alice walked in.

"Good job you two," she said, "the others will meet us at the studio. I explained everything, except the part about Bella coming along; I couldn't lie to Carlisle. Nothing has changed, I still see us killing James. Let's go, we don't have much time."

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Author's Note:

Many thanks to all those who have reviewed. I am a first time writer, so all of the positive reviews have been very encouraging. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Jasper's POV

Since the Phoenix sun is not ideal for us vampires, we were forced to take the car to get to the ballet studio. Alice needed to focus on seeing the outcome of our fight with James, so I drove and Bella sat in the backseat. The directions Bella gave were simple; the ballet studio was just a few blocks from her house. Running would have been a lot faster, but the sun made that impossible.

I sensed Bella's nervousness and fear as I pulled out of her driveway. I understood her emotions; this situation would be too much for most humans to handle. Bella really was a lot stronger than I thought. I didn't know what to say to make her feel better, so I settled on making her calm. I heard her sigh from the backseat. She said, "thanks, Jasper. Can you go over the plan again? I just want to be sure I know what's going on before we get there." Before we had left the house I came up with the best plan of attack for when we arrived at the ballet studio. Plans of attack were sort of my specialty, a remnant of my lifestyle before Alice.

"Sure Bella. As soon as we get there we will all walk in together. He might try to run when he sees us, but he will probably want to fight for you. Defeat is not in a tracker's nature. We will fight him, and all you have to do is stand by the door. I will give you the car keys as soon as we get there. If there is any hint of trouble I will tell you to leave, and you must leave. Run to the car and drive away. Do you understand?" I could sense that I was scaring her, but Bella needed to understand that this was dangerous and we would do everything in our power to protect her.

I looked at her in the backseat. She looked pale again, and definitely scared. "Ok, I'll do whatever you tell me to." She said softly.

Bella's emotions were making me doubt she could handle coming to the ballet studio. Although I knew it would be best for her to be there, from a tactical standpoint, I wasn't sure it was the best option for her. "Bella, it's not too late to take you back to your house. You would be safer there, and you wouldn't have to deal with any of this." I looked at Bella again in the backseat. The color had returned to her cheeks, probably because of the anger I sensed coming off of her. I had actually offended her with what I said.

She glared back at me, "Jasper, I said I can handle this," she snapped, "it's completely natural for me to be a little scared, but I'm fine. I want to do this, I want to help." I just nodded and continued driving. If Bella said she could handle being there, I would take her word for it. We would arrive in a couple minutes.

I turned to look at Alice. She still had her eyes closed and her face was completely blank. I needed to know what she was seeing, so I gently touched her cheek, letting her know that I needed her. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at me. I sensed more disappointment coming from her as well as nervousness. "What did you see, Alice?" I asked her.

"It's all the same, Jasper! All I'm getting is us killing James. The only new detail I got was that Carlisle and Emmett will be there in the end to help burn him." She gave me a nervous glance. I could tell there was something else that she wasn't telling me.

"What is it, Alice?" I said, too quietly for Bella to hear.

Alice hesitated for a second then spoke in a voice only loud enough for me, "Jasper, Edward is there too, but he is absolutely furious with us. I know it's because we are letting Bella do this, is this really worth the risk?" She asked me.

I thought about her question, then I answered, "this is what Bella wants. If we tried to make her stay at her house she might get into even more trouble by coming after us; you know how stubborn she is. This is dangerous for Bella, but I think it should be her decision. Edward will forgive you, Alice. He cares for you too much to stay mad. It might take him longer to forgive me, but he will eventually. I would rather Edward be mad at me than deny Bella this decision; it wouldn't be right after everything she has endured to get us this far." Alice nodded to me, accepting my response. I didn't voice this aloud to Alice, but I knew that Bella being in the ballet studio was also the best tactical decision; we needed her to distract James. I was too ashamed to say that I could handle Edward's fury if it meant we would win the fight more easily. I couldn't risk Alice's safety; I had to ensure that we would win the fight.

As Alice and I finished our inaudible conversation, we arrived at the ballet studio. Alice's face went blank once again, signaling a vision. She looked at me, "we're good to go, I still see the same outcome. The others will arrive in six minutes, then this will be over."

I looked at Bella once again and she said, "I'm ready, let's go." I handed the car keys to Bella, then prepared to step out of the car, ready to defend Bella and my Alice.

Outside the deserted ballet studio, there was no one in sight. All three of us exited the car and walked in through the entrance, with Alice and me flanking Bella's sides. As soon as the door closed behind us I sensed James's excitement for the kill. I forced myself to keep my anger in check as we entered the main room. James was standing in the center of the room. His feeling of excitement quickly changed to shock as he saw Alice and I.

James glared straight at Bella with his thirsty black eyes, causing me to protectively step in front of her. I didn't even need my power to sense Bella's terror. I could feel her beginning to shake behind me. James then focused his gaze on me. He snarled, "I look forward to killing you and your little mate so I can finally finish off the human." Alice and I both growled back at him as we crouched in front of Bella, ready to begin the fight.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Jasper's POV

I slowly stalked forward towards James, wanting to move the fight away from Bella. Alice moved to the side so we were coming at him from two angles. James's eyes shifted between Alice and me, then to Bella. He let out a longing growl as he looked at Bella. He was definitely thirsty. I used his momentary distraction to make the first move.

I lunged at James, but he was quick to block my advance. Our bodies collided, creating a deafening sound. Alice came at James from the opposite side and began fighting in her peculiar way, using her foresight to guide her. We both continued fighting James, but neither one of us was able to get close enough to do damage.

After about thirty seconds, I felt Bella's terror reach a higher level. I was momentarily distracted by her emotions, giving James the opportunity to hit me, sending me flying into one of the glass mirrors. I was on my feet before all of the glass had cascaded to the ground. I looked at Alice, her face blank, and her eyes closed, as she danced around James. I sensed James's frustration as he lunged again and again, but never once touched Alice.

As I watched Alice fight, I realized that James was moving the fight closer and closer to Bella. He was going to force us to protect Bella, using her presence against us. I rushed back into the fight, not wanting James to gain anymore ground. I slammed into James, attempting to force him back, but he was quick. As we fought, I began to realize that James was a much more skilled fighter than I had originally thought. He continued to block my advances, forcing us back towards Bella. When we were just ten feet away from Bella's position by the door, I realized that she was now a liability to us, no longer an asset. Her position was forcing Alice and I to take a defensive stand, instead of attacking. James was too absorbed in the fight to be distracted by her scent; she had to leave before he gained total advantage. "Bella, get out, now!" I yelled to her.

Bella's POV

I could tell Jasper was yelling at me, but his voice sounded distant, like it was coming from miles away. I looked at him, but I couldn't make sense of his words. He was probably telling me to get out. Even if he did say that, I couldn't have moved if I tried. I felt strangely rooted to the ground as I watched the fight progress. A few minutes ago, I was so terrified that I could barely breathe, but then as I watched the three blurs dance around each other and heard their thunderous crashing, my feeling of terror was replaced with a floating sensation. As I continued to stare at Jasper, I realized that this really was too much for me to handle; Alice was right, I didn't belong here. The edges of my vision began to blur, and I immediately thought of Edward. His perfect face was the last thing I saw before everything was gone.

Jasper's POV

There was no way I could have helped Bella. All I could do was watch as she crumpled to the ground. I quickened my pace as I lunged at James again and again. I had to end this fight before it got even more out of hand. From the other side of James, Alice said, "Jasper, the others will arrive in thirty seconds!" Thirty seconds would be plenty of time for us to end this fight. Sensing my increased speed, Alice also moved faster. I sensed James's distress as we circled him, faster and faster. James then whipped around to attack me in a frantic move, and I was able to grab both of his arms. He had made the fatal mistake. I quickly twisted his arms clean off and threw them across the room as Alice jumped on his back. He tried to shake her off, but failed. She easily began ripping him apart. Soon his head was completely gone, spread out across the floor of the ballet studio.

I didn't waste time. I continued ripping him apart and Alice started the fire. As I threw his torso into the fire, Alice looked up towards the door, and seconds later Edward ran in, followed by Carlisle and Emmett. Edward immediately turned to Bella, but Emmett rushed over to help gather the pieces of James and we continued burning him.

I sensed Edward's fear as he rushed to Bella, who was still lying on the floor. I didn't know what was wrong with her, but I couldn't bring myself to look in Edward's direction. I felt horribly ashamed for giving Bella the idea to come with us. She could have easily been killed, why had I let my need to kill James come before Bella's safety? I angrily tore apart another piece of James, and threw it into the fire.

Then I heard Edward's voice, laced with fear, "Carlisle!" He yelled.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Jasper's POV

At Edward's plea for help, both Carlisle and Alice immediately ran to his side. I sensed the overwhelming urgency in everyone's emotions. Emmett stayed by my side and we watched the remnants of James smolder in the flames. I still couldn't bring myself to look at Bella. If there was something seriously wrong with her, there would be no one to blame except for me.

Edward's POV

It would be an understatement to say that I was utterly shocked to see my Bella when we arrived at the ballet studio. What had Alice and Jasper been thinking bringing her with? I didn't bother being angry with them just yet, instead I focused all of my attention on Bella.

She was lying on the ground when we came in, but I couldn't smell any spilt blood. I knelt beside her, trying to detect any internal damage, but I sensed no distress within her body. She was just unconscious, and since I found her this way, it was impossible to tell how long she had been out. I began to panic when I couldn't figure out what was wrong with her, so I yelled for Carlisle. He had much more experience in medicine than I did. I tried to convince myself that he would be able to give me the answers I needed.

Carlisle was quickly at my side, Alice followed close behind. While I hastily explained Bella's symptoms, Alice touched her cheek. Carlisle nodded at my explanation and knelt beside me to exam Bella himself. I stared at Carlisle as he checked Bella for any injuries, then took her pulse. He didn't have to voice his conclusion out loud, I heard his mind. _Shock._ I gave Carlisle a questioning look, and he explained without words, _Edward, humans can only handle so much. Bella has been through a lot today, this situation was just too much for her mind to process. All we can do is wait, that's all I can tell you._ I gave Carlisle a nod, his explanation made sense, but I was still worried about my Bella.

Jasper's POV

Emmett put his hand on my shoulder then said, "Jasper, let's get out of here. The Tracker is dead, we can leave now." I continued to stare at the fire for a few seconds, then ultimately decided it really was time to leave before our the fire got too out of hand. I forced myself to turn around and finally look at Bella.

Alice was kneeling by Bella's head, stroking her cheek. Carlisle and Edward were bent over her, probably examining her. I continued to stare at the scene before me, unable to force myself to walk towards them. I sensed Emmett's impatience from behind me. "Come on, Jasper. We have to leave," he said. When I didn't move, he finally put his arm around my shoulders and forced us both towards the exit.

I stayed silent as we reached Carlisle, Edward, Alice, and Bella, letting Emmett do the talking. All I could do was stare at Bella's still form. "Carlisle, we have to leave, the fire is spreading," Emmett said. I shrugged Emmett's big arm off my shoulders, and walked out the exit. I couldn't stand watching everyone suffer over what I had done to Bella.

As I walked, I sensed sympathy coming from Alice. It was so like Alice to treat me like a better person than I really was. She was the first to catch up to me. She put her tiny arm around my waist and leaned her head on my shoulder. "It's ok, Jasper. Bella will be fine, I have seen it." I couldn't think of a good answer, so I just nodded. What I really wanted to tell her was that the only reason I couldn't stand to look at Bella was because her current condition reminded me of my failure as a family member. Edward, my brother, was in love with Bella and I had used her to my advantage in the fight, with complete disregard for her safety. Bella was practically my sister and I had put her in extreme danger. When would I start thinking as a Cullen, a member of a family, and not some military general?

Edward's POV

The fire really was starting to spread. It was time to move. Carlisle and Emmett waited for me to move before they exited the ballet studio. I gently lifted Bella's limp form into my arms, and walked towards the car. I saw Jasper and Alice ahead of me. Alice's thoughts were on Jasper, she felt sorry for him. Jasper's thoughts were focused on his failures as a family member. He was seriously upset with himself, and rightly so for the amount of danger he had exposed Bella to.

When we reached the car, Jasper was already sitting in the driver's seat with Alice beside him. The rest of us all squeezed into the back seat, not an easy task with Emmett's size. I sat Bella in my lap, and stared intently at her face. She had probably been out for about fifteen minutes now, it was time for her to wake up.

Just as I thought this, I saw Alice was having a vision. I only saw flickers, but I could tell the vision was about Bella. Alice let out a gasp from the front seat then turned to me with a smile on her face. She used her thoughts to tell me what she saw. _Edward! Bella will wake in fifteen seconds! _I gave Alice a look of gratitude, then turned back to Bella. The seconds passing seemed like hours. I counted in my head, …_13…14…15! _Bella's eyes opened and she stared at me, obviously surprised. "Welcome back," I whispered.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Bella's POV

"Edward!" I gasped.

"I'm here, Bella." He said, looking at me with his beautiful, troubled eyes. "I'm so sorry, Bella. I never thought this would get out of hand like that, but James is gone now. Jasper and Alice took care of him. Are you ok?" He asked. I looked around before I answered him, trying to figure out where I was. I was sitting on Edward's lap in the back seat of Carlisle's Mercedes, and Emmett was grinning at me from Edward's side. I almost laughed seeing his legs practically crammed against his chest, his body too big for the small space. Carlisle was next to Emmett, looking out the window, probably trying to give us some privacy.

"I'm ok now Edward, I just got so scared back there. I thought I would be killed and never see you again. I think that's what scared me most," I admitted. Edward pulled me close to his chest at my words.

I saw Alice's face appear from the front seat. "Oh Bella, did you really think James could get past the both of us? I mean there really was no doubt, I would know." She said, glancing at Jasper, who I noticed was driving. Edward frowned at her words, causing her to turn around. I chose not to respond to Alice, I could tell Edward was already upset with both her and Jasper.

I needed to ease the tension between the three of them. "Edward," I began carefully, "it was my decision to come to the ballet studio. I thought I could help, but I was wrong. Please don't be angry with Alice and Jasper, this wasn't their fault." Edward gave me a small smile.

"We won't discuss this now Bella, let's just get you home first. Don't worry, right now I'm just happy you are safe. Alice and Jasper may have done wrong in bringing you with to the fight, but it could have been a lot worse had Jasper not caught you back at the airport." He frowned at his words, probably thinking of the very different situation we would be in right now had I gone alone to meet James. I felt the color drain from my cheeks as I thought of that possibility too. "It's ok Bella, you're fine," Edward said, noticing my distress and pulling my head onto his shoulder. He was right. I was more than fine, I still had Edward. By some miracle, we had all made it out of this terrible situation.

I suddenly felt tired as I recounted the day's events in my head. This had truly been the longest day of my life, and it wasn't over yet. I still had to face Charlie when we got back to Forks, but I wouldn't think about that just yet. I laid against Edward's chest for a few minutes and let the smooth motion of the car lull me to sleep. Before I was completely gone, I suddenly realized that I needed to say one more thing. "Jasper?" I asked softly.

It took Jasper a couple seconds to respond, but then I heard his calm voice from the driver's seat, "Yes, Bella?"

"Thanks…for everything. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you." That sounded lame after everything Jasper had done for me today, but it was the best I could do in my exhausted state. I didn't wait for a reply, I just let myself fall asleep.

Jasper's POV

Bella's words were somewhat comforting, but I didn't expect her words to completely ease my troubled mind. I was relieved that she wasn't angry with me for putting her in this situation, but I knew Bella well enough to know she wasn't going to feel that way. The person I really needed to talk to was Edward. Perhaps he wouldn't want to talk to me right away, I could still sense his anger beneath his feelings of relief for Bella's safety, but when he was ready I needed to explain myself. I also needed his forgiveness.

As I drove, I listened to Carlisle and Emmett quietly talking to Esme and Rosalie in the back seat, telling them what happened. We were all grateful to come out of the fight unscathed. I turned to Alice and we shared one of our looks. She reached out and brushed my cheek with her tiny fingers. I smiled at her and reached for her hand as we made our way back home.

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Author's Note:

Ok…one more chapter.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

(Two weeks later)

Edward's POV

After we all got back from Phoenix, it took some smoothing over on Bella's part to fix things with Charlie, but now everything was pretty much back to normal. Sometimes I could tell Bella was thinking of what happened in Phoenix because she would hug me for no reason or give me a certain look. I on the other hand thought about Phoenix a lot more than Bella. My Bella could have easily been taken away from me that day, and that fact was not easily forgotten.

I never officially talked to Alice and Jasper about the incident. Alice took it upon herself to talk to me. One day last week, she walked up to me and used her thoughts to speak with me. She had said, _Edward, I just saw that you are going to forgive me for Phoenix, but you don't need to say anything. Just know that I'm sorry and I will accept your forgiveness. _Then she gave me a quick hug and danced off before I could reply. Alice truly was a strange, but loveable person.

Jasper was a completely different story, however. Lately his thoughts had been dwelling on Phoenix. His thoughts practically screamed that he wanted to talk to me. It wasn't that I was still angry with Jasper over Bella's involvement in the fight with James, but I wasn't quite ready to forgive him. I knew that Bella was the one who had the final say in going to the ballet studio, but Jasper had given her the idea. It's wasn't that I was holding a grudge against Jasper, but I didn't feel ready for things to be normal between us.

Lately, I had really been making an effort to think of Phoenix in a different way. From a different perspective, Jasper could have quite possibly saved Bella's life. We would have been hard pressed to catch up to her in time had he not caught her in the airport. I truly was grateful that Jasper had been there for Bella, but I still let my anger about the ballet studio overshadow my gratitude.

Eventually, I knew Jasper would force me to speak with him, he had been thinking about it for a while. I clearly remember the talk we had earlier today…

I was so thirsty that I had been forced to take a hunting trip nearby the house, and Jasper followed me. When we were a good distance away from the house, I heard him call my name in his thoughts, _Edward. I have to talk to you, please will you let me?_

Jasper's POV

I was almost begging Edward to speak to me with my thoughts. I felt a little humiliated that I had to actually follow Edward and plead with him like this, but I was desperate. I truly had tried to be patient with him, but this was getting ridiculous. It was time for him to hear what I had to say. I was sick of the constant undertone of anger I sensed coming from him whenever we were together, I missed my brother.

I chose to talk out loud, rather than have Edward pick at my head. "I really tried to wait for you Edward, but now I can't wait any longer. I want to talk about what happened in Phoenix. I want to apologize." I nervously waited for his reply.

Edward sighed, then said, "You're right Jasper, it is time to talk about this. Go ahead."

I was momentarily surprised that he agreed to talk, but I collected my thoughts and started. "Edward, I've had a lot of time to think about what I did back in Phoenix, and I know that what I did was wrong on many levels. The worst thing I did was put Bella in danger." I sensed his anger escalate at my words, but I still continued, "I hope you know that at the time, I wasn't thinking as a Cullen, I was thinking as a fighter. My past life makes it more difficult to think as a member of a family and not some sort of vampire warrior. It has been really hard for me to get used to this lifestyle, but living with this family is the only place I have ever felt like I belonged. I just want you to know how truly sorry I am for letting my past life get the best of me in Phoenix. I can't promise you that I won't stray from my path again, but I can promise you that I will do everything possible to keep Bella out of danger in the future." I patiently waited for Edward's reply. I didn't sense any powerful emotions coming off of him, but that wasn't necessarily a good or bad sign.

It took Edward a couple seconds to respond, but he finally said, "Thank you for saying that, Jasper. I know how bad you felt about what happened in the ballet studio. I know you were only concerned with Alice's safety, and I can understand what you did because I probably would have done the same in your position. I accept your apology, and I'm sorry for putting off talking to you for so long." He paused, then continued, "I also want to officially thank you for saving Bella, Jasper. I really don't know what I would have found in that ballet studio had you not stopped Bella from running away. I'm eternally grateful to you for her life, Jasper."

I certainly wasn't expecting him to thank me for anything that happened in Phoenix, but I was gracious all the same. "I'm just glad that none of my mistakes were harmful to Bella, Edward. I think we were all lucky that this didn't turn out the other way. All we can do now is just move on, right?" I asked, hoping he would agree.

"Right, Jasper. Let's go home, I'm sure Alice has told everyone that we will be getting along again. I know Esme will be relieved, you know how she gets when this happens. We can put this behind us now." I sensed relief coming from Edward. Talking to each other had not only been beneficial to me, but to Edward also. I was ready to go home and be with my family, where I belonged. From now on I would try harder to be a Cullen, a member of a family, and not a member of a mere coven.

End.


End file.
